Asian Express

Think fast food and all that comes to mind is Mc Donalds and KFC or at best the road side vada pao vendor.....well not any more!

Asian Express, a small chic eatery conveniently located in Mariplex Mall in Kalyani Nagar is all set to change the drab fast food scene in the city!

Asian Express offers popular South East Asian food in an "express" fast food format. Dont expect to be served in fancy plates!

But what you can expect is fresh food created using real Thai spices and ingredients.....a great place for a working lunch or a quick snack if you are in the area.

So on a lovely Saturday afternoon , with my lovelyy friends from Pune Foodiez  we had lunch at Asian Express and this is some of  what we ate....

I loved the Burmese Kaho Soi  (Rs 225) - a one bowl wonder with noodles , fried shallots, garlic, boiled egg ,a thick flavorful base and wonderful smoked chilli flakes on top!

 Surely the Khao Soi would make for a very satisfying meal all in itself! What you are served at Asian Express is a pre- assembled Khao Soi but dont be shy and ask for extra condiments if you so desire !

I like my Khao Soi with  extra squirts of lemon juice and fried garlic bits ...

Burmese Khao Soi

Next thing I liked was the Som Tam (Rs 145) - Raw papaya salad ....its something I can eat every single day...loved the long crunchy strips of papaya  that were tossed in a tangy garlic-y tamarind dressing.

Som Tam 

The Lemon Grass prawns (Rs 285) were nice also....it was a very generous serving of prawns considering the price :))

Lemongrass Prawns

Chicken satay (Rs 205) was good! It makes for a good snack though I would have liked the accompanying peanut sauce to be a little thicker with more texture and bite! Paneer satay was lacking in flavour and a little bland.

Chicken Satay

The Japanese potato cakes ( Rs 125) and Thai french fries ( Rs 135) were both nice! Think an aloo tikki with thai spices or french fries coated in exotic thai chilli and lemon grass seasoning!

Japanese Potato Cakes

The Tom Kha soup ( Rs 135) was nice but could do with more of a kick of Thai flavour!

Tom Kha Soup

The Thai red curry ( Rs 235)  and green curry served with a portion of basil rice were both quite impressive! I enjoyed them....

Thai Red curry

Desserts on offer are not very conventional and may be a little experimental for most people. I tried the mango spring roll ( Rs 155) and a Thai coconut Patties( Rs 140) -  coconut potato dumpling in a creamy coconut sauce.

 They were nice but I am not sure if I would order them again....but then again kudos to Asian Express for being experimental with food and trying new things :)

Thai coconut Patties

Mango Spring roll

Over all, I loved the chic interiors with the exposed brick walls and the interesting art .

Will I eat here again?

I will surely  eat here again given my love for South East Asian Food and healthy eating (on most days)  and stick with  house classics like Khao Soi, Red/Green Curry with rice , Som Tam salad and Lemon grass prawns!

Asian Express- Kalyani Nagar Pune

Its wonderful to find real Thai food in a fast food format at such reasonable prices for generous portion sizes !